I can’t believe it’s been a year since I adopted Meghan the Wonderdog!

A lot has happened in this year: Meghan has made some new friends (including Bou, Darcy, Elvis, and Jake); she’s learned to walk fairly nicely on a leash; she saw her first snow; and she’s finally learned to “shake.”

Unfortunately, all has not been perfect in Meghan’s world. Most recently, she tore her joint capsule in her left knee, and had to have surgery a few weeks ago. Because of her medical condition, which mostly means no running and playing for six weeks, I had to cancel the planned adoption day party with her doggie friends listed above.

Instead, Meghan’s adoption day was rather quiet. Of course I told her how happy I was to have her and gave her a new Kong. I also presented her with a delicious cupcake from Oliver’s Collar.

Here’s a few photos of the event. Please note that the cupcake contained only ingredients safe for pups — definitely no chocolate!

What is that?

A treat? For me? Really?

Such concentration!

Just let me have it already!

Note that the picture of her devouring the cupcake doesn’t exist. You’ll just have to take my word that she grabbed it in her mouth, ran into the dining room and devoured it in two bites.

Now time for a well-deserved post-treat nap.

Just a little P.S.: when I adopted Meghan last year, I was injured and had difficulty walking. This year, she was injured. So I look forward to next year’s adoption day, when both of us will be able to romp around painlessly!

Snow started falling rather quickly at my house on Wednesday afternoon. After about an inch was on the ground, I figured we could run around and play before it got too deep. But, when I opened the door and Meghan saw this strange white stuff coating the deck and ground, she balked. No way she was going outside…

Eventually, I decided to just start walking away. That did it! Determined not to be left alone, Meghan stepped outside and began exploring.

Finding her rawhide bone outside made everything better!

The next morning, however, was not so fun. Hours of sleet and rain left an icy coating on top of the snow, making it very hard for Meghan (and me) to walk. Eventually she figured out that by walking in my footsteps, she could keep her balance.

Since it was impossible for her to run around outside, I had to come up with indoor activities to use up her physical and mental energy. I threw her squeaky toys down the hall for her to retrieve and we worked on some new commands. Luckily, I had planned ahead and bought a few hula hoops and began teaching her to jump through them. And we played a lot of her favorite game: “find me.” I make her sit and stay on her mat, then go hide behind some doors, in the tub, or behind chairs. As the week went on, I tried progressively harder hiding spots, but my house is small and I eventually ran out of options.

Luckily for her (and me), the sun came out yesterday and melted a lot of the snow. Meghan was able to sit outside while I did some work transplanting seeds.

I’ve always treated my pets as substitute children. I’ve bought them treats and toys, taken them on vacation to the beach, and thrown them birthday/adoption parties. I’ve spent more on medical care for them than I ever would for myself. I even adorned my first dog, a golden retriever named Molly, with bandanas. Though, who could blame me for that one? Goldens and bandanas just naturally go together!

So, yes, I have been known to go a bit overboard with my pets. But never, never, never have I actually dressed a pet. Until now.

Yep, I’ve become that kind of dog owner. The kind who buys clothes for her dog. And I have to say that I’m a bit embarrassed. After all, Meghan is no fru-fru lap dog. She’s a 55-pound, knee-high, muscular machine. She simply doesn’t look like the type of dog who would wear clothes.

But, let’s face it: she has very little fur. And she goes to day camp, where she’s outside for five to seven hours in cold temperatures. So a coat was mandatory or my little pupster would turn into a popsicle.

The first coat I bought for Meghan is a quilted blue coat that has velcro straps connecting under her neck and tummy.

The folks at doggie day camp, who are experienced in these matters, recommended this coat as a good starter. The idea was to get her used to wearing something, then perhaps graduate to a warmer tummy-covering coat that requires some leg manipulation. I loved that this coat came with it’s very own, perfectly sized hanger.

What I didn’t love was picking her up from day camp after the second day of coat adornment to find the strap underneath her tummy hanging by a thread. My neighbor B pulled out the sewing machine and performed emergency surgery. All was well until… the back end of her coat was torn. The white trim now hangs loosely and the quilted stuffing is starting to come out. This is definitely not the coat to wear for rough play time! I had to relegate it to walk wear only.

But what to wear at day camp? After a Google search and a recommendation from a cousin who also has a pit mix, I found Meghan’s second coat. The Ruffwear coat wasn’t cheap, but supposedly holds up well during rough play. I purchased the one that is like a lined rain coat, since I figured she would need some protection from the elements.

This coat also has a nice, tight fit, so I’m thinking I can use it like a Thundershirt to have a calming effect when Meghan’s anxious.

It’s still a bit of a challenge to get her paws through the front sleeves, but once it’s on and zipped, she seems to really enjoy it. And, judging by the muddy paw prints all over the jacket, the dogs at day camp enjoy jumping on her!

I love taking pictures of my dog Meghan sleeping. She is quite the active pup, but she also enjoys a good snooze on the couch, especially after a long day of playing at doggie day camp. Here are some photos taken of her relaxing after her recent play day.